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Two of the novels, the Bolano and the Peterson, were on my personal recommendation list this year, and I was interested in the Thomas and Johnson books, although I haven’t read either yet. Junot Diaz should certainly have been included.

Is _Savage Detectives_ really a safe choice? It’s a long, somewhat meandering novel filled with debauchery and obscure literary references, published in translation years after being written by a dead, previously little known author from outside the US. It certainly sparked a lot of buzz in the media, and while it may not have been a complete stretch to include it, the selection was well-earned.